ABOUT US: SELFHELP Crafts was a job creation program founded by the Mennonite Central Committee, the relief and service organisation of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches. It was established in 1946. The purpose of the SELFHELP organisation was to provide "fair paying employment1" for those in less developed countries to help them exert control over their lives and meet their basic physical needs. SELFHELP Crafts saw itself as working toward long-term stability rather than as a "short-term fix".
SELFHELP Crafts was a non-profit organisation with outlets and representatives throughout Canada and the United States. Most people involved in the organisation, including clerks in the retail outlets, came from a variety of backgrounds and religious denominations, and worked as volunteers.
OUR PRODUCTS:
SELFHELP Crafts of the World offered a wide, dynamic selection of products. The product line included hand crafted jewellery and baskets; hand woven mats; lace tablecloths; clothing; items carved from rare woods such as teak and ebony; ceremonial masks and greeting cards. There were even some foodstuffs such as packaged wild rice. The assortment of products changed as producers were dropped and new ones added. At times the products available were so unique that not even the staff were quite sure of the product's purpose. For example, one year at Christmas, banana leaves formed into circular shapes were received. The staff, believing they were wreaths, decorated them with ribbon and Christmas decorations. The "wreaths" sold quickly. The staff later learned that these circular forms were in fact meant to be used as trivets to keep hot pots from burning the table surface.
All products sold in the outlets were expected to meet national safety standards. This was occasionally a problem for SELFHELP until the organisation could convince producer groups to raise the quality, change the design or use different raw materials to produce their goods. For example, some children's toys received by the Saint John outlet were removed from the shelves because they were too small and therefore deemed dangerous for young children by Canadian standards. In such cases it was SELFHELP Crafts Canada who absorbed the loss. Another product restriction originated from the organisation itself. In keeping with the Christian faith, SELFHELP outlets would not carry any violent products, such as toy guns for children.